Jean Bennett

Jean Bennett, 72, a former writer for The Times food section, died Aug. 22 in Oceanside of complications of emphysema. Previously food editor of the Record in Hackensack, N.J., Mrs. Bennett moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and wrote for The Times from 1972 to 1981. During World War II, Mrs. Bennett served as a correspondent for the American Red Cross and was stationed in Italy and North Africa. She is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter.

Re "Justices Close Book on '80s Lawsuit Against Abortion Protesters," March 1 Yes, I can hear that noise in the background getting louder and louder. Listen, you can hear it too: chip, chip, chip, chip -- chipping away at every American woman's right to decide what to do with her own body. JEAN BENNETT Sun City, Calif.

Re "Justices Close Book on '80s Lawsuit Against Abortion Protesters," March 1 Yes, I can hear that noise in the background getting louder and louder. Listen, you can hear it too: chip, chip, chip, chip -- chipping away at every American woman's right to decide what to do with her own body. JEAN BENNETT Sun City, Calif.

With all due consideration to the others on Sen. John Kerry's short list, Sen. John Edwards is the best choice Kerry could make for a running mate. Edwards' energy and dedication to the same middle class that the current administration has so badly neglected make him the right man at the right time. Now maybe we'll have a vice president who is more than just a conduit for big-buck economic interests. I just hope Kerry and Edwards don't waste a lot of words answering the cheap shots that the Bush boys are going to launch.

The article on "Law & Order" was very good ("Tactically Alert," by Greg Braxton, April 25). I enjoyed the other two former female D.A.'s much better--very attractive and they dressed very well. The new one needs to change her attire. Same old drab outfit every week. And I still miss Michael Moriarty and Richard Brooks. I always watch the reruns on A&E. JEAN BENNETT Inglewood

With all due consideration to the others on Sen. John Kerry's short list, Sen. John Edwards is the best choice Kerry could make for a running mate. Edwards' energy and dedication to the same middle class that the current administration has so badly neglected make him the right man at the right time. Now maybe we'll have a vice president who is more than just a conduit for big-buck economic interests. I just hope Kerry and Edwards don't waste a lot of words answering the cheap shots that the Bush boys are going to launch.

Two observations on Iowa's "elections." First, hearing Robertson call Tom Brokaw a "religious bigot," is about like hearing Tammy Bakker call Snow White a loose woman. However, when he stated on a Tuesday morning interview that the "really important test will come" in the following weeks in such strongholds of American voters as "Wyoming, North Dakota, Maine and Nebraska," I finally realized that anyone truly can run for President in this country, particularly those without a true grasp of reality.

I recently received a letter from the IRS informing me that I'll be getting a check for $400 in two weeks. Regardless of the wisdom of the tax refund, we can all agree that the expense of sending these letters was unnecessary and a blatant attempt on the part of the president and Congress to curry favor. What next? A follow-up letter two weeks later from the president making sure we got the check? Perhaps those of us who grow tired of the foolishness in Washington should simply sign our checks over to the Democrats' campaign fund.

December 5, 2001 | JANET WILSON and JOHN J. GOLDMAN, TIMES STAFF WRITERS

For the first time in 23 years, a judge took the extraordinary step of jailing teachers in New Jersey for criminal contempt when they ignored a court order to end a strike. Amid tears and vows not to return to work until they received a new contract, teachers in Monmouth County's biggest school district Tuesday told Superior Court Judge Clarkson S. Fisher Jr. they would rather be behind bars than bow to school administrators they distrust in the central New Jersey suburb of Middletown Township.

Re "Putting the hurt on pet abusers," Feb. 8 I am grateful to The Times for alerting readers to the real and horrific link between those individuals who abuse animals and other forms of community violence. This cycle of violence is often accepted by society as "boys will be boys," but as sociologists and others are coming to understand, those who abuse vulnerable animals are just warming up, and animal abuse is a profound indicator of future antisocial behavior. I am glad that this is now being taken seriously by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles City Council.

I recently received a letter from the IRS informing me that I'll be getting a check for $400 in two weeks. Regardless of the wisdom of the tax refund, we can all agree that the expense of sending these letters was unnecessary and a blatant attempt on the part of the president and Congress to curry favor. What next? A follow-up letter two weeks later from the president making sure we got the check? Perhaps those of us who grow tired of the foolishness in Washington should simply sign our checks over to the Democrats' campaign fund.

The article on "Law & Order" was very good ("Tactically Alert," by Greg Braxton, April 25). I enjoyed the other two former female D.A.'s much better--very attractive and they dressed very well. The new one needs to change her attire. Same old drab outfit every week. And I still miss Michael Moriarty and Richard Brooks. I always watch the reruns on A&E. JEAN BENNETT Inglewood

Jean Bennett, 72, a former writer for The Times food section, died Aug. 22 in Oceanside of complications of emphysema. Previously food editor of the Record in Hackensack, N.J., Mrs. Bennett moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and wrote for The Times from 1972 to 1981. During World War II, Mrs. Bennett served as a correspondent for the American Red Cross and was stationed in Italy and North Africa. She is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter.

Two observations on Iowa's "elections." First, hearing Robertson call Tom Brokaw a "religious bigot," is about like hearing Tammy Bakker call Snow White a loose woman. However, when he stated on a Tuesday morning interview that the "really important test will come" in the following weeks in such strongholds of American voters as "Wyoming, North Dakota, Maine and Nebraska," I finally realized that anyone truly can run for President in this country, particularly those without a true grasp of reality.

Re "U.S. casts a wide net in hostage hunt," May 16 The U.S. military is offering a reward of up to $200,000 for information leading to the return of three missing American soldiers, which proves, yet again, that the United States does not have a clue when it comes to dealing with Al Qaeda. For four years, the U.S. has been offering a reward of more than $20 million for the capture of Osama bin Laden, and no one has taken us up on that offer. What makes these mental midgets at the Pentagon think that $200,000 is going to do the trick?

* Maricarmen Ohara, a professor of Spanish at Ventura College, has been invited to lecture at the Religious Education Congress, to be held Thursday through Feb. 14 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Ohara will make two presentations in Spanish: "Emphasizing the Importance of Hispanic Culture in Catechism Instruction" and "How Parents Can Be a Positive Influence in the Lives of Their Children." The annual congress is sponsored by the Los Angeles Archdiocese Office of Religious Education.